46 THE NEW AKT OF BKEEDING FISH. 



upon the belly, and its fingers on the back and sides, 

 is passed like a ring, lightly, backwards and forwards, 

 and brings the eggs near the opening through which 

 they are passed. {PI. ^,fig. 1.) 



If the eggs are hard, and already free from the 

 membrane of the ovaries, the slightest pressure suffi- 

 ces to expel them, and under this pressure the abdo- 

 men is emptied without injury to the female opera- 

 ted upon ; for the following year she will become as 

 fruitful as if she had spawned naturally, as we have 

 often had occasion to observe at the establishment 

 at Huningen. 



If, on the contrary, it appears that a greater de- 

 gree of pressure is necessary to bring out the eggs, 

 we may be sure they are still inclosed in the tissue 

 of the organ which produces them, and that the ope- 

 ration is premature. In this case it should not be 

 persisted in, but the female should be put back into 

 the pond, and allowed to remain there till her full 

 time is accomplished, care being taken that this will 

 soon occur ; for if a female fish in this condition is 

 kept captive for any length of time in a circumscri- 

 bed place, her eggs will spoil. 



If the females are too large to be held and emp- 

 tied of their eggs by a single operator, another can 

 aid him in holding them over the receptacle, either 

 by passing his fingers in their gills, or by securing 

 them with a cord, and if the convulsive struggles are 

 very violent, it may be necessary for a third person 

 to hold the tail. The operator, then, with his 



